Rolling mills for producing strip from granular and pulverulent material



June I, 1965 u. GEIER 3,136,031

ROLLING MILLS FOR PRODUCING STRIP FROM 'GRANULAR AND PULVERULENTMATERIAL Filed Dec. 4, 1965 LE /5' Fig.2.

United States Patent 3,186,031 ROLLING MILLS FOR PRODUCING STRIP FROMGRANULAR AND PULVERULENT MATERIAL Ulf Geier, Osterrath-Bovert, Germany,assignor to Schloemann Aktiengesellschait, Dusseldorf, Germany FiledDec. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 327,950 Claims priority, application Germany,Dec. 24, 1962, Sch 32,518 Claims. (Cl. 18-9) In rolling bands and stripsfrom granular or pulve-ru'lent materials, especially metals, the bands.or strips are liable to exhibit marked edge cracks or fractures, whichresult during the formation from various causes such as a broadening ofthe rolled stock, which is uncontrollable with non-profiled rolls,particularly in the marginal zones. This gives rise to the occurrence ofa large amount of waste, and an irregular degree or quality of rollingbeyond the band breadth.

These disadvantages are obviated by known powderrolling molls, the rollsof which form a closed pass, this being effected by providing one rollwith a groove corre sponding to the desired band breadth, whilst theother roll projects into this groove. It is likewise known to provideeach roll, at one of its ends, with .a collar, and so to arrange theserolls in relation to one another that each collar bears on the end ofthe opposite roll, and thereby forms a closed pass. A. modification ofthis is the use of loose discs, which revolve with the rolls, and whichare arranged at the ends of the rolls, and may in some cases be pressedby supporting rollers, and thus take up the spreading pressure.Furthermore, for the lateral limitation of the pass, an appliance isknown which consists of a powder-feeding appliance the side walls ofwhich engage in annular grooves in the rolls, and project right into thepass gap.

All these known rolling mills exhibit the defect that any later-a1roll-gap boundaries that they may have are constant, and therefore thepairs of rolls can only be employed for a single breadth of strip.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rolling mill of thekind mentioned wherein the lateral roll-gap boundary is variable, forthe purpose of rendering possible, with a single pair of rolls, acomprehensive rolling programme, Without changing the rolls.

According to the invention, this object is attained by providing eachroll with a boundary ring, the radial depth of which corresponds to thethickness of the strip to be produced. One boundary ring located at oneend of one roll and the other at the other end of the other roll, and bymaking the rolls adjustable in the roll stand relatively to one anotherin the direction of their axes.

In a further development of the invention the boundary rings are in eachcase loosely connected with the rolls, in such a way that they areaxially fixed but are displaceable radially to the roll axes, and thateach ring is pressed against the .associated roll body by the action ofa force acting towards the roll body. It is thereby rendered possible tovary the roll pass not only in breadth but also in depth, since thelateral boundary is maintained over the entire range of adjustment ofthe rolls. Even increases in the roll gap, caused for instance by a flawin a roll, are taken into consideration by effecting the radialdisplacement of the boundary rings perpendicularly to the roll axis.

The boundary rings may advantageously be pressed against the roll bodiesby spring means. In order to keep the frictional wear of the springmeans small, these are 3,186,631 Patented June 1, 1965 supported at theends of the rolls upon sleeves rotatably arranged upon the rolljournals. When rolling materials of small thickness, the boundary rings,for the purpose of forming a funnel-shaped and laterally bounded scrapchamber, are prov-ided'with boundary plates partly embracing the rolls.These boundary plates may advantageously be rigidly connected with theboundary rings, which in this case, of course, are not fixed to therolls, the gap between the boundary plates and the opposite rolls beingvariable by means of adjusting screws.

One embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated by wayof example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a set of rolls with a displaoeably arranged lower roll;

FIGURE 2 shows a set of rolls with boundary rings represented insection;

FIGURE 3 shows a section on the line IIIIII in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 likewise shows a section on the line III-III in FIGURE 2, butwith boundary plates arranged on the boundary rings.

In FIGURE 1 the upper roll, denoted by 1, is supported, by means ofchocks 2, in a roll stand, not shown. The chocks 2 of the lower roll 3are secured upon an axially displaceable slide 4, so that the rolls areadjustable relatively to one another in the roll stand in the directionof the roll axis. Upon the roll journal 1a of the upper roll, and uponthe opposite roll journal 3a of the lower roll (FIGURE 2), sleeves 5 arerotatably arranged, upon which there bear spring elements 6. Lateralboundary rings 7, which in FIGURE 1 may be integral with or rigidlysecured to the rolls, are in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 mounted under stressupon the spring elements 6, and axially exactly fixed, between the endfaces of the roll bodies and rings 9 fixedly connected with the rolljournals. By the spring elements 6 each of the boundary rings 7 ispressed against the roll body of the opposite roll, thus forming withthe rolls, a closed pass.

In FIGURE 4, the boundary rings 7 are additionally provided withboundary plates 7a, the distance of which from the opposite roll surfaceis adjustable by means of an adjusting screw 11, which is provided in anextension 10 of the boundary plate, and which bears against a part 12 ofthe roll stand.

I claim:

1. For the product-ion'of bands and strips from granular and pulverulentmaterials, particularly metals, a rolling mill, comprising: rollsforming a roll pass, a boundary ring on one end of one roll and asimilar boundary ring on the opposite end of the other roll, theboundary ring on each roll bearing against the body of the other roll,thus closing the roll pass at the ends and thereby limiting the breadthof the band to be rolled, and the rolls being axially adjustablerelatively to one another so as to vary the breadth of the band to berolled.

2. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: meansholding each boundary ring against axial displacement relatively to theroll upon which it is mounted but permitting radial displacement, andresilient means urging each boundary ring radially against the roll bodywith which it cooperates.

3. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a sleeve onone roll journal of each roll located within the boundary ring, the saidresilient means acting upon each boundary ring being a spring interposedbetween the sleeve and the boundary ring.

a 3 4 4. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 1, further com- ReferencesCited by the Examiner prising a boundary plate partly embracing therolls, for UNITED STATES PA N S guiding the material to be rolled intothe roll gap.

5. A rolling mill as claimed in claim 4, the boundary 3O17665 1/62 Dashaet a1 18 9 3,019,487 2/62 Naeser 18-9 XR ring not being rotatable wlththe roll but being substan- 5 tially integral with the boundary plate,and the mill fur- FOREIGN PATENTS ther comprising screw means forangularly adjusting the 1,043,457 11/53 France,

position of the boundary ring and thereby adjusting the gap between theboundary plate and the adjacent roll. WILLIAM STEPHENSON, PrimaryExalmner-

1. FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BANDS AND STRIPS FROM GRANULAR AND PULVERULENTMATERIALS, PARTICULARLY METALS, A ROLLING MILL, COMPRISING: ROLLSFORMING A ROLL PASS, A BOUNDARY RING ON ONE END OF THE OTHER ROLL, THEBOUNDARY RING ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE OTHER ROLL, THE BOUNDARY RINGON EACH ROLL BEARING AGAINST THE BODY OF THE OTHER ROLL, THUS CLOSINGTHE ROLL PASS AT THE ENDS AND THEREBY LIMITING THE BREADTH OF THE BANDTO BE ROLLED, AND THE ROLLS BEING